Facebook Messenger testing end-to-end encryption

After WhatsApp, it's Facebook’s Messenger app that has end-to-end encryption testing underway; the company announces via a blog post.

Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ: FB) has started implementing end-to-end encryption on its Messenger app in order to ensure maximum security of private user conversations. The company notes it’s something which is currently accessible to only a limited group of people. However, Facebook has plans to make the feature available to a broad user base by this summer.

According to the social networking giant, activation of end-to-end encryption will possibly end up making sensitive conversations more private, especially when it comes to dealing with things such as health issues or financial information.

By rolling out end-to-end encryption, Facebook is apparently aiming to make the conversations more private with no possibility of third-party eavesdropping by any possible means. Hence, as a matter of fact, Messenger conversation will now likely be more one-to-one without having to worry about compromising the privacy, even by Facebook.

“During this test, we will gather feedback about the functionality, measure performance and introduce tools to enable you to report objectionable content to us. We are putting a lot of thought into the design and implementation of this feature, and we are grateful to the security and privacy experts who have given us their valuable input,” says Facebook.

Interestingly, users can also select for how long their messages remain visible within the conversation. Facebook has made the whole thing possible with the help of Open Whisper System’s Signal Protocol that works in synchronous and asynchronous messaging environments. It operates on the principle of sessions. Messenger users will establish a session, which becomes a part of all further encrypt/decrypt operations.

However, it should be noted that not all Messenger conversations are encrypted this way by default, unlike WhatsApp. Instead, Facebook allows individuals if they wish to start a secret conversation with their connections, which is purely optional. The reason being, this kind of encryption is mainly device-specific. Hence, considering the fact that Messenger users tend to use multiple devices, it’s better to let them decide how they want to their conversation ahead.